Nursing Home Ratings: Who Can You Trust?

(An update on the following Next Avenue story, which appeared in March 2019) On June 3, 2019, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) released a report called Families’ and Residents’ Right to Know: Uncovering Poor Care in America’s Nursing … Continue reading

I Am Dating a Married Man: Don’t Judge Me. Here’s Why.

I am dating a married man. His wife doesn’t know. She resides in an assisted living facility, a tragic victim of a brain disease. Like a young child, she can no longer walk alone, needs help being fed, showered and going to the bathroom. She and my fri… Continue reading

Second Acts to Profit From the Longevity Economy

Are you looking for a second act in a growth field? Consider the longevity market — services and products targeting people over 50. The opportunity is enormous. According to AARP, the economic activity of Americans 50+ is the equivalent of the third la… Continue reading

16-Year-Old Author Writes Story of Love and Dementia

  The subtitle for Grandpa and Lucy, a book by 16-year-old author Edie Weinstein, says it all: A Story About Love and Dementia. In this charming picture book, the main character, a young girl named Lucy, employs simple and loving gestures to strengthen… Continue reading

10 Ways We Spend Our Lives Waiting

As one of the 76 million people comprising the boomer generation, I find myself luxuriating in time I never had before. I am also proud to report I hold another title, that of a newly retired person of which we are nearly 42.5 million people, growing s… Continue reading

Daughters Are Taking Over Family Businesses

Family-run firms comprise some 90 percent of business enterprises in the U.S. and about two-thirds of employment. So what happens with family businesses matters greatly to the economy and society. That’s why it’s important to highlight how the demograp… Continue reading

Next Avenue Readers Speak Up About Elderspeak

A story based on the power of words and conversations regarding “elderspeak” provoked a robust conversation of its own on Next Avenue’s Facebook page in January. The Negative Effects of Elderspeak generated more than 2,600 reactions (from those who agr… Continue reading

For Scientists About to Rock (We Salute You)

Science and music are closely connected. Says Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): “Whether you’re working with another person or a whole team of people who have different skills, different dreams and different aspi… Continue reading

Married? Widow? Whatever

I was sitting in the office of a new doctor, which is to say, I was filling out a lot of paperwork. There were blank boxes that required my health insurance information. Columns of medical conditions that required Yes/No responses to document my health… Continue reading

Is There a Movie Audience Age Gap at the Oscars?

After years of declining ratings and a series of botched proposed changes to the ceremony, the Oscars, airing Sunday, February 24, are desperate for some attention. But where will that attention come from? As an NPR film critic who watched some of the … Continue reading